Q.4. Explain briefly Hawthorne Experiment.
Related Question -
Q. What is the relevance of Relay room experiment in Hawthrone Experiments? (AKTU. 2009 - 10)
Q. What do you know about Hawthrone Studies? Describe in detail with its implications? (AKTU. 2010 - 11)
Ans. Hawthorne Experiment: -
The Hawthorne studies can be conveniently divided into five major parts, one of which has two subdivisions. Each part is an outgrowth of the preceding one. In many respects each follows the other logically, but no one could have predicted the complex nature of the findings or the ramifications of procedure from the simple, unpretentious beginning. The five studies are referred to as.
(1) Experiments on Illumination
(2) Relay Assembly Test Room
(a) Second Relay Assembly Test Room
(b) Mica Splitting Test Room
(3) Mass Interviewing Program
(4) Bank Wiring Observation Room
(5) Personnel Counseling
Study 1. Experiments On Illumination: -
The first experiment on illumination was conducted in three selected departments. The work performed in one department was inspection of small parts; in the second department relays were assembled; and the job in the third was winding coils. For the control situation, all employees worked under existing lighting installations so that production could be measured.
In the first department the various levels of average illumination intensity were 3, 6, 14, and 32 footcandles. The production of the workers varied without direct relation to the amount of illumination.
In the second department the illumination intensity were 5, 12, 25, and 44 footcandles. Production increased, but not solely as a result of changes in illumination. The third department showed similar results. The conclusions drawn “brought out very forcibly the necessity of controlling or eliminating the various additional factors which affected production output in either the same or opposing directions to that which we can ascribe to illumination”
Here, apparently, was a problem that was not as simple as it looked. A second experiment with more refined techniques was set up; it took place in only one department and two groups of workers participated. These groups were equated for numbers, experience, and average production. The control group worked under relatively constant illumination. The test groups worked under three different illumination intensities. The influence of any spirit of competition (a factor not part of the experiment) was guarded against by having the two groups work in different buildings.
This second experiment on illumination resulted in perplexing but enlightening results. Both groups increased production appreciably and to an almost identical degree. Since this experiment did not show what increase in production could be attributed to illumination, the third experiment was undertaken.
In this experiment further refinements in procedure were introduced. Only artificial light was used, daylight being excluded. The control group worked under a constant intensity of 10 footcandle. The test group began with 10 footcandles but the intensity was reduced by 1 footcandle per period until they were working under only 3 footcandle. This group of employees maintained efficiency to this point despite the discomfort and handicap of insufficient illumination. In a fourth experiment two volunteer girls worked in a light-controlled room until the intensity equaled that of ordinary moonlight. At this stage they maintained production and reported no eyestrain and less fatigue than when working under bright lights.
The fifth and last of the illumination experiments was conducted with the girls who wound coils. During this experiment there was no real change in production. At first the intensity of the lights was increased daily, the girls reporting that they liked brighter lights. An electrician then changed the light bulbs but kept the same intensity. The girls commented favorably on the increased illumination. In the last part of the experiment the illumination was decreased; the girls said that less light was not so please. However, they felt the same way when the lights remained constant, even though the electrician was supposedly reducing the illumination.
In most such experimentation the sponsors would have thrown out the evidence and the “Crackpots” responsible; it would have been considered a wild nightmare, to be repressed and suppressed. Fortunately in this instance, although the specific problem was not solved, there was an awareness that more knowledge concerning the problems involving human factors was essential. The Relay Assembly Test Room, the second of the Hawthorne Studies, was the result.
Study 2. Relay Assembly Test Room: -
The Initial purpose of this experiment, which lasted about five years, was to exercise more direct control over the many variables that could have influenced the performance of the operators in the first study.
In order to exercise greater control it was decided to use a small group of employees in a separate room away from the regular working force. The task chosen was the assembly of small relays, because it is simple and highly repetitive (approximately 500 a day), requires no machinery, and permits an accurate measure of production.
Two experienced operators who were friendly with each other were invited to participate; they in turn selected three other assemblers and the layout operator, who assigns the work and procures the parts. The situation was similar to that in the regular Relay Assembly Department except that in the regular department there was one layout operator for six or seven girls. The only other person in the room was a man who had worked on the illumination experiment. He was to keep records of what occurred and create and maintain a friendly atmosphere. A special room was fitted out, but chairs, fixtures, and work layout were similar to those in the regular department. An accurate recording device was added to the regular equipment so that it was possible to measure not only the number of relays assembled but also the time taken per relay. Temperature readings and humidity were recorded hourly. The girls took physical examinations every size weeks.
